HIATUSOut of the Blue
by Synea K
Summary: Sakura Kinomoto is a firm believer in destiny and love, haphazardly following a sure-proof plan she'd created when she was 11. Now 7 yrs later, she risks leaving her love life up to anything destiny has in store for her, the good and the bad. AU/SS!
1. Prologue

_Sakura Kinomoto is a firm believer in destiny and love, __haphazardly following her sure-proof plan for love that she'd created when she was 11. Now 7 years later, Sakura risks leaving her love life up to anything destiny has in store for her, the good and the bad. Will she continue to place her heart in the hands of fate or will she discover that sometimes there are no plans…love just happens if you simply let it._

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><p><strong>AN: Hey there! So this is my first CCS fanfic and the first fanfic I've ever posted on . It's an AU fic but I promise to keep their personalities as close as possible. There are a few of my own characters as well though. &amp; don't worry...this is definitely an SxS story. Just wait &amp; see!<strong>

**I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it! So please, feel free to R&R!**

**-Synea K.**

**P.S. (Disclaimer) Of course I don't own CCS. Thanks for being awesome, CLAMP! :)**

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><p><em>April 13th, 2001<em>

_Dear Diary,_

_My heart has done it again. First Jessie, then Aaron and now….*drum roll, please*….Cheyenne! My dad's co-worker and his very, very cute son made a surprise visit yesterday. We spent the afternoon hanging out with my brother and I just know there's gotta be something between us. I know I know, if you could talk you'd probably scold me about falling "head over heels" for the first new guy that seemed to always want to tag me as 'it'. I can't stop my heart from skippin' beats if that's what it feels like doing. But, is it bad that I still look for signs of Jessie and Aaron? I mean, it's been years since I've even heard from Jess and last summer Aaron was gone without even the slightest hint of goodbye. I feel really lame. I've got a lot of room in my heart but when "Mr. Right" decides to unmask himself, there won't be room for all of 'em. I'll figure something out. Renaissance faire in 5 days! _

_Always, _

_S.K_

_April 18__th__, 2001_

_I'VE GOT IT! I don't have too long to write but I'll fill you in the best I can. The Renaissance Faire was so amazing! This year I actually had money to buy something so I was between a bow & arrow set (I dunno, I thought it'd be cool to have one!) or an Ocarina. But then…I saw it:"Magical Fairy Dust". I mean, ok, they're just little vials of colorful glitter and all my friends laughed at me when I purchased the $5 "Love Dust" but I can't help that I'm a hopeless romantic. _

_So, I decided to place the letter of the first name of each of the boys: J, A and C. & when I happen to use up all of the dust over time – I thought about putting some into my perfume every morning or something like that- I'll pull out the first letter and the rest up to destiny. Sounds like a good plan to me. _

_Wish me luck!_

_Always, _

_S.K_

Storing her diary in the nightstand drawer, the young girl stood from her bed and stretched. She carefully picked up the crimson filled vial and held it out in front of her face, peering into it.

"Let's see if you've got some magic in you"

She retrieved some paper and a pencil from her backpack and made her way to the other side of the bedroom. Sitting down in front of the closet door mirror she came face to face with her reflected self. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of emerald and her short auburn hair hung just above her shoulder.

Sakura Kinomoto was a simple girl – with a firm belief in destiny and love. With her mother passing away when she was young, her father working full time as a university professor and being the youngest and only girl of 2, her female role models consisted of hopeless romantic Sandra Dee from the musical 'Grease' and the cartoon teenage costumed heroin Sailor Moon, who's love life worked surprisingly well with her contrasting everyday adventures of ridding the world of evil. She believed that love would come when the time was right and that everything happened for a reason.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before tugging at the cork that stopped the red pixie dust from falling out. It didn't seem to want to budge.

"hmm…let's see.."

Sakura placed the cork in between her teeth and pulled. Cork still in mouth, she let out a squeal and watched the vial launch across the room. She scolded herself for being such a klutz as she hurriedly followed a little trail of the red dust. It had come to rest next to a small stuffed lion with white wings. Picking it up, she let out a sign of relief, realizing that the majority of the contents was still present.

"Guess you're lookin' for love too, huh, Kero?" Sakura giggled, picking up the small stuffed animal.

She blew a few speckles of red from the toy and placed it in between the pillows on her bed before returning to her seat in front of the mirror.

"Now, where was I?" She said aloud. But before she could continue, her bedroom door began to open.

"You ok in there, squirt?"

Touya Kinomoto poked his head inside his little sisters room, regretting this gesture almost immediately as a pillow hit the side of his face.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" Sakura questioned

"You ever heard of being a normal 11 year old girl…and not a monster?" Touya retorted with a smirk, tossing the pillow back at her.

"I'm not a monster!" Sakura yelled, grabbing another pillow again.

"Hey now, that's not necessary. That's the last time I check up on you" Touya mumbled, holding his hands up in defense.

Sakura calmed, maybe she'd been too hard on her older brother. Since her Father worked very often, Touya had always been the one to take care of Sakura. As much as he may annoy her, she cared deeply for him and appreciated all that he had done and continues to do for her.

"Sorry Touya. I'm fine! Now can you please leave?" Sakura apologized and pleaded

"Yeah, Yeah, whatever you say…Monster"

Sakura glared at him as he retreated. She could hear his laughter as he made his way downstairs.

Throwing the pillow back to her bed she plopped down onto the floor

"Ok! Back to business." She picked up a piece of paper and ripped three little pieces from the corner.

On the first piece, she jotted down the letter J.

Jessie was her best friend and next door neighbor for as long as she could remember. A few years after her mothers' passing, her father received an offer to teach at a university in a neighboring city. His family was the first on the block to introduce themselves. In those days, playing together afterschool and on weekends was the highlight of Sakura's 10 years of life. Throughout their years of friendship, he was always there to help her up when she'd fall, he was her shoulder to cry on, and her hand to hold when she was scared. Laughter was constant and happiness was abundant when she was with him. He'd taught her how to ride a bike, how to rollerblade and even play soccer. Sakura knew that things could only get better after he'd finally told her that he liked her.

She touched her cheek and smiled, thinking back to the afternoon when Jessie had told her his feelings.

They stood at his front door because it was getting late after an afternoon of playing together. He'd been acting nervous the entire time they talked on his stoop before grabbing her hand. Sakura's fingertips tingled at the touch of his and she stared at him as he stammered through his words, his eyes remaining planted to the floor. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, he'd told her how he loved her and that he was glad to have met her before planting a kiss on her cheek and running into his house. She had skipped home, speechless with her cheeks red from smiling. But fate would have it, the following afternoon, Jessie and his family were nowhere to be found. Sakura had not pieced together the growing amounts of boxes in his garage and the trailer hitch on side of his house to him moving away. She believed that he probably never told her because he didn't know how to say goodbye.

She folded the piece of paper over as many times as she could and dropped it into the red dust.

The next letter she wrote down was 'A'.

Sakura had met Aaron through Jessie about a year ago. Although only seeing each other during school they became close by reminiscing about their adventures with their mutual friend. Summer came and went and Sakura was excited to exchange summer stories with Aaron since he'd been on vacation with his family all break. The first week of school went by and Sakura knew that she would not be seeing Aaron anymore. The teachers had only told her that his family decided to relocate to be closer to relatives. Although she would have probably never told him, she was starting to like him.

Along with the first piece, the second piece of paper disappeared into the dust and she picked up the final piece.

She carefully wrote the letter C and folded it.

There wasn't too much of a story behind Sakura and Cheyenne. She'd only met him once but in that one visit, he'd reminded her so much of Jessie and Aaron that she couldn't help but like him.

She slipped the last paper into the vial and replace the cork. Giving it one little shake the papers disappeared into the powder.

She stood from her spot and smiled sadly at the little object in her hand. She felt silly for placing the fate of her heart into these little slips of paper surrounded by supposed "love powder". Even at the age of 11 she understood that love was something unpredictable and incomprehensible but it didn't hurt to have an idea of what she wanted. By placing the letters in the sand, she hoped to one day find at least one of the names associated with those letters…or a person that could fit into her heart the way they did.

"Sakura! It's time for dinner" her father called from the kitchen below.

"Coming!" She shouted back. She glanced at her reflection once more and smiled before running out of her room, leaving her thoughts and memories in the little vial she'd carefully placed under her pillow.


	2. Chapter 1

"Good Morning, love"

" 'morning!" _His smile was bright that morning. It was apparent even over the phone._

"How was your night?"

"It would've been better if you were here! But it was great." Sakura grinned thinking back to the festivities of the previous night.

Although it wasn't supposed to be an eventful night, her roommate had planned a "little" surprise for her. Little, as in managing to gather all of their mutual friends on a Monday night to celebrate Sakura getting hired at her first job. The event didn't seem to call for a dinner party but her roommate saw any sort of occasion as a reason to celebrate.

Attending the same university, they ended up as roommates for the first 2 semesters of their freshman year. Tomoyo Daidouji stood at only 5'1" but had the biggest heart. It turned out that Sakura and her Tomoyo had gone to the same high school but had never met. The raven haired girl's benevolent personality was a constant reminder of what happiness and real friendship was and Sakura couldn't have asked for a better roommate. Nearing the end of the first semester as freshmen, Sakura and Tomoyo looked forward to continuing their college years as not only roommates but best friends.

The blaring ring of a school bell brought Sakura back to her phone call.

"I'm glad you had a great time, Sakura. I've gotta get to class though. Have a good day, K?" the voice on the other end of the line said after the ringing had subsided.

"Okay! You too. I-"

The phone was silent before she was able to utter her final words.

"I love you" She finished. The clamor of the crowded hallway on the other end of the line was replaced with a nostalgic silence and a slight longing to be back there. As much as she couldn't wait to graduate, Sakura truly missed the simplicity of her 7:30-2pm scheduled school days. She had even made quite a name for herself in the last 4 years of grade school as Class President and Prom Queen. How could things possibly get any better? Throw in an exceptionally charming boyfriend with a smile brighter and warmer than the sun.

Christopher Gill was one of her best friends for over a year, enduring trivial high school drama together. But with patience, persistence and a twist of fate, 2 best friends became 2 halves that made a beautiful whole. With Christopher having one year left in high school, Sakura being away for her first year of college and neither of them wanting to put their relationship on hold, long distance was their only option. Everything seemed to be going just great so far. There were a few instances of awkward silences but she knew they would pull through.

Sakura placed her phone on her bedside table and pulled her arms up into a stretch. Glancing at the her alarm clock, the bright red numbers flashed "7:15". She let out a grumbling noise. Although it was already November, she still found herself regretting the choice to continue a morning routine after sleeping 'til noon almost every day of her summer vacation. Deciding to stay in bed for a few more moments, she laid back down and reached under her pillow, pulling out a small journal. Propping herself up onto her side she flipped to a middle page in the notebook.

_August 3__rd__ 2004_

_Hey there! Long time, no write! I guess I haven't been too motivated to write in these recent months. A lot has changed but it would be too much to try to update on. Just know that everything is fine! I'm starting High School in a couple of weeks and I DO have a somewhat big announcement. It took me 3 years but I finally pulled a letter out of the pixie dust! I'd tell you to guess but I might be waiting around for forever hehe. So…let's just hope that Mr. "C" shows up soon! I'll try to write more later. _

_Always, _

_Sakura_

Flipping a few more pages, Sakura couldn't help but smile at her old journal entries. She'd been reading them every night for the past week. She came upon to the final entry and read silently to herself.

_November 18__th__, 2007_

_I can't believe it really happened. I mean, yeah, when I was 14 I could have sworn on my life that it would happen but let's get real here….the odds are what? 1 in 26 or 1 in a million? Maybe self-consciously I MADE this happen or…I should just stop right now and renew my faith in Destiny. I think I'll go with the latter. So, thank you dear Destiny for bringing the wonderfully fascinating, handsome, talented Christopher Gill into my life. He's not just my boyfriend…he's my best friend. It's crazy to admit but out of all of my friends, I'd rather talk to him, spend my time just laying there with him, holding his hand and enjoying his company. He lights me up inside even if I may not show it on the outside. He's everything to me right now. _

_Always, _

_Sakura_

_P.S. Thanks11 year old self for planning ahead!_

Sakura laughed at the last comment she wrote before closing the diary and sliding it back under her pillow. It had been one year since she'd started dating Christopher and she hadn't felt it necessary to document her life after that point. That's what memories were for. She had spent a large amount of her life in high school documenting every single second through video or pictures or writing but now felt as though she had missed out on simply experiencing the moment. So she set aside her camera and pencil in a shoebox under her new dorm room bed, vowing to "live in the moment" rather than re-watch or re-read it later. At least for the time being.

Making one last stretching motion, Sakura hopped out of bed to begin her morning.

"Oh, Kero, what should I wear today?" Sakura emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her mid section and another holding her wet hair atop her head.

There was no response from the stuffed animal that lay in between her pillows. Even though her brother had made fun of her for wanting to bring her stuffed toy with her to college, she felt a sense of comfort having the toy with her. It was a little slice of home.

"Sometimes I wish you could just answer me. I have a feeling you'd probably talk forever though" Sakura giggled as she rummaged through her dresser drawer. She'd opted to put on an oversized light blue t-shirt and some gym shorts until she figured out her outfit.

"What do you even wear to work in an office?" Sakura's words were once again met with silence.

Walking over to her small closet she placed her finger on her chin, scanning through her clothes.

She wanted to make sure she'd be comfortable all day since she would be going between class and work.

"Ah ha!"

She retrieved a jade green wrap dress from its hanger and skipped over to the full length mirror on the back of her door. Holding the dress up against her small frame she examined herself in the mirror. She removed the damp towel from her hair, her auburn locks fell a little below her shoulders. Sakura Kinomoto had grown into a beautiful , spirited young woman. Her emerald eyes still shown brilliantly and reflected her bright and child-like persona. Now 18 years old, she'd opted to attend a University a few hours away from her hometown instead of the one where her father worked. She also wanted to avoid her brother's over-watchfulness since he'd decided to attend the University where their father worked.

Sakura's focus changed to the reflected numbers on her alarm clock. Her eyes grew wide.

"It's 8:30, already?" she scurried into the bathroom, returning a few minutes later clothed in the green dress and furiously brushing at her damp hair. Pulling it up into a ponytail, she secured it with a light green barrette. She smiled at the thought of what her brother would say if he saw her now:

_Always late as usual, Sakura. And you still look like you're 12, squirt. Some things will never change._

Shifting her thoughts, she skipped around her room in attempt to put her sandals on. She located her backpack and double checked to make sure her notebooks and pens were there before racing out of the door.


	3. Chapter 2

_****_**AN: Thanks for reading and reviewing! ^_^. The story will start to pick up after this chapter. As for Meilin. I used her american last name in order to flow with the story a little more. Hope you enjoy the next chapter. I'll be updating sort've frequently since I have some chapters written out already. I've just been fixing them up a little.**

**-Synea**

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><p><em><em>

_It's my first day and I'm already going to be late!_

Sakura thought to herself as she skipped down the stairs to the first floor of a large office building.

She'd underestimated the amount of time needed to get from her classroom to work. Nearly sprinting into the quiet room Sakura prepared her apologies to her new boss but quickly realized that the office was empty. Setting her bag down behind the front desk, she swiftly removed the "Receptionist Will Return Shortly" sign and took a seat just before her office manager came strolling in.

"Good Morning, Sakura. I'm glad to see you made it here on time" the woman greeted as she entered the office.

Sakura laughed nervously, straightening up in front of the desk

"Good Morning, Ms. Mizuki. Busy morning?" she quickly changed the subject.

The woman's long fiery hair swayed as she made her way into the small room in the middle of the office.

"It's actually been really slow. Students are too worried about Finals and what they're going to be doing for Winter Break instead of choosing their classes," She let out a small chuckle as she sat down behind her desk "I'm not complaining at all".

Ms. Mizuki Kaho was the office manager of the first year advising office on campus. She was a very graceful and composed woman. Her silvery eyes held a sense of mystery that was heavily masked by her sincere compassion.

Just a few days ago, Sakura was hired as the newest student assistant. She'd mistakenly wandered into the office in search of the testing center, wanting to make sure they received her advanced placement English scores from high school so she wouldn't have to enroll in freshman English for the spring semester. She would be able to use the money towards a different course instead of a class she hopefully wouldn't have to take.

Immediately after walking into the office, she began to explain her predicament to the lovely young woman standing near the front desk. When she finished, the woman simply smiled and responded that the testing center was down the hall but if it was money she was worried about, she would love to hire her as a part time student assistant. Sakura felt embarrassed by her location mishap but immediately realized the perks of her mistake. Following the woman into the middle room, they discussed the job description and schedule.

Sakura logged onto the computer and checked for any new emails and then the phone lines for any new voicemails. The job was ideal for any college student. There was a maximum of 20 hours a week and the hours were very flexible, working in between her class schedule. The best part was that the office was located on campus so she wouldn't have to drive or take a bus to get there since she lived in the dorms. The rest of the staff had welcomed her with open arms and she seemed to get along well so far with the other student assistant.

The office was peacefully quiet that morning as she worked on inputting some data from a workshop. Since it was the week before Winter Break, students had already had the chance to pick their courses for the next semester and were only focused on acing their final exams. Sakura's schedule consisted of World History I, Enjoyment of Music, Computer Fundamentals and Speech and she felt very confident about taking her exams later this week.

Her thoughts shifted towards what she would be doing for the upcoming vacation. A smile danced across her lips as she thought about seeing Christopher again soon. It had been almost 4 months since they'd last seen each other.

Although she was a little worried about how things had been going during this last month. Their conversations were growing quieter and shorter but she was determined not to let it hinder their relationship. Clearing her mind of the negative thoughts, she changed her focus to what they would do for his upcoming birthday. She'd been planning the perfect gift for the last 2 months now.

A full blown smile returned to her face, unable to contain her emotions.

"Someone seems to be very cheerful this morning" a voice spoke, emphasizing the word "very".

Shaken from her thoughts, Sakura looked up to see a boy leaning on the counter in front of her.

Alarmed by his proximity, she rolled her chair back a little. He stood up straight, displaying his above average height as he looked down upon her with his bright brown eyes.

"Well…I've got reasons to be cheerful," Sakura replied nervously, her cheeks feeling heated from embarrassment.

"Well then I'm sorry for interrupting your cheerful moment" he smirked, his eyes meeting hers.

"Its-it's fine" Sakura stammered, averting her gaze to the screen in front of her.

"What may I help you with this morning?" she absent mindedly rearrange the folders on the desktop.

"I'm actually looking for the testing center but this…doesn't seem to be it," he responded, his eyes straying around the office.

"The same thing happened to me just a couple days ago!" Sakura exclaimed, standing from her chair.

"You'll want to go right and then take a left by the vending machines. If you see the girls bathroom, you've gone too far" she pointed towards the direction she was describing. She was proud at how well she knew the building already.

His eyes found his way back to hers. Sakura held his gaze for a moment before breaking the contact and returning to her seat.

"So, I guess I'll head over that way then. Thank you uh…cheerful girl" he gave a short wave and turned to leave the office.

"My name is Sakura" she started, her words fading out. He'd already left.

_He was kind of cute_. She thought to herself but quickly shook the thought from her head. The only boy she needed to think of as cute was Christopher.

"We really should make a sign that says we're not the testing center" she said aloud.

"And miss out on cuties like that guy coming by? No way!" a young girl walked into the office just as Sakura finished her statement.

"Did you happen to get his number?" the girl winked

"Sorry, Meilin. Not this time" Sakura laughed at her coworker's disappointed look.

Meilin Rae was currently a junior at the university and had been working at the advising office since her freshman year. Her long black hair was pulled into two ponytailed buns that sat neatly on both sides of her head and her eyes blazed with her fiery spirit. She had been the only student assistant until Sakura came along. Meilin initially rejected the idea of her needing any help around the office but realized she could use a few afternoons off. Her domineering personality would take some getting used to but Sakura was sure she could handle it.

"It's nice to see you Meilin but isn't this your first afternoon off?" Ms. Mizuki questioned.

"I realized I didn't have too much to catch up on with school so I thought I'd come in to help Sakura out on her first day" Meilin said, crossing her arms and leaning against the desk.

Sakura playfully rolled her eyes "You mean with this ridiculous never ending line of students?" her statement dripped with sarcasm.

"Just wait, Kinomoto. They'll come. And when they do, you're going to wish that I was here to give you a lunch break" Meilin retorted, sticking her tongue out.

"Speaking of lunch breaks, would you mind relieving me from this treacherous job so that I may regain my strength?" Sakura pleaded, feigning fatigue.

"Go ahead, abuse my presence now while I'm still around" Meilin took a seat behind the desk as the auburn haired girl gathered her belongings.

Sakura mocked a bow as she made her way towards the door. "Oh what would I ever do without you dear Meilin? I am not worthy to stand in your presence"

"As long as you're aware of that" Meilin conluded

"Play nicely, girls" Ms. Mizuki chimed in.

The girls shared a laugh before Sakura left the office.

"The new girl isn't so bad" Meilin said aloud to Ms. Mizuki after her coworker left. There weren't too many girls that she could tolerate but Sakura didn't seem to bother her.

"It's good to know that you approve of her, Ms. Meilin" the office manager responded with a sly smile.

"Of course! Where would this office be without me?" Meilin responded proudly.

Shaking her head, Ms. Mizuki smiled and continued her work.


	4. Chapter 3

Sakura embraced the warmth that greeted her as she made her way up the stairs of the office building. It was already late November but the temperature hadn't changed too much aside from the occasional breeze. Time seemed to pass by so quickly today. She'd had World History this morning from 9:00 until 10:15 and was scheduled to work her first shift from 10:30 until noon. All that was left was Enjoyment of Music at 3:00 and she was free to go home by 4:15.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. The phone rang a few times before she hung up and tried again.

_Come on, Chris. Pick up. _

Sakura made it a routine to call Chris during his 30 minute lunch break but those phone conversations were becoming scarce and almost non-existent. When she'd ask him about it either he'd say his phone was on silent or he was meeting with a teacher during that time or he was too caught up hanging out with his friends.

_Hey, you've reached Chris. I can't come to the phone right now but—_

Sakura ended the call and took a deep breath. A knot formed in her throat.

"Oh, c'mon. I can't cry over something like this. Suck it up, S." she coached herself. She stuck her tongue out at the phone and put it in her back pocket.

It was too beautiful a day to feel sad about anything, she thought to herself as she made her way to the student food court. She'd decided to take the path near the school's "Reflection Pond", a large fountain just adjacent from the office where she worked. Students could be found throughout the day sprawled out on blankets or simply just lying on the grass surrounding the pond, enjoying afternoon powernaps between classes.

"Hey Sakura! Over here!"

Sakura found the source of the voice that called for her. A smile lit up her face as she made her way closer to the actual pond. A young man stood under a large tree, his hand still waving her over. He was about the same height as Sakura and had slightly tousled black hair.

"Hey there, stranger. I barely recognized you" Sakura grinned as she closed the gap between herself and the boy.

He frowned, "I guess I deserve that. These classes have really been destroying my social life."

"It's ok, Alex, I understand" Sakura gave him a reassuring smile, "at least the semester is almost over!" They both took a seat on the soft grass in the shade of the tree. Placing his hands behind his head, he leaned back against the tree and. Sakura took a deep breath and followed suit, enjoying her serene surroundings and the company of her friend.

"Just like old times, huh?" Alex mumbled

"mhm" Sakura agreed.

The momentary silence between them was interrupted by a muffled, grumbling noise. Sakura's eyes shot open and met Alex's in a sideways glance and they both began to laugh.

"Someone's hungry"

"Me? What about you? Your stomach was definitely louder!" She exclaimed, nudging him with her shoulder.

He nudged her back, "With my kind of schedule it's almost impossible to find the time to eat. Luckily for me class was cancelled today and I get to spend my afternoon with a lovely lady like yourself" He stood and dusted his pants off.

Sakura laughed at his comment, "Stop being a flirt!" she accused.

"I'm only being honest, Sakura" he said slyly.

Sakura looked at him devilishly, "I'm telling" she sang.

"Hey, I'm allowed to give my friends compliments! How about I buy you lunch? Please don't tell on me! You know how Rayne will get"

"I'm only kidding. Buut since you're offering, I'm starving! I was actually on my way to lunch when you stopped me" her stomach reinforced her statement by letting out another grumble.

"Anything you want in particular?" he asked while backing away

"Surprise me! But hurry back, my break ends at 1" Sakura said. He gave a nod and hurried off to the food court.

Sakura stared at her phone in contemplation. It was now 12:15 and she'd wanted to try calling Chris back.

_No, if he was available he would've seen the missed calls and at least texted me back. _

She stuffed the phone into her backpack and let out a frustrated sigh. Leaning back against the tree she resumed her meditative state. She didn't want to believe that her relationship was on a slow decline. Maybe she was crowding him? She thought back to how busy her senior year in high school had been.

_I guess I'll talk to him about it tonight_

Her thoughts shifted to her friend Alex and his current relationship. He and his girlfriend, Rayne, had been together for almost 2 years now and like Sakura's beau, she too was finishing up her last year in high school. She'd have to talk to him about how they were doing later but for now she had her own relationship to worry about. She frowned, was she foolish for having faith in her plan?

"You'll get early wrinkles if you continue frowning like that"

Sakura's eyes shot open and she found herself staring into a familiar set of brown eyes. It was the boy who'd stopped by the office earlier.

"Can you not be so creepy?" Sakura glared, dusting herself off as she stood from her spot.

The boy chuckled, rustling his hair. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off that way. I would've said hi earlier but I didn't want to interrupt you and your boyfriend"

Sakura sputtered and fell into a short fit of jolly laughter.

"My boyfriend? Alex? He wishes. " She scoffed.

"Is that right? You must be a hot commodity then. I feel honored" his sarcasm was very evident but was masked by his grin.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "He's got a girlfriend back home. We're just really good frie—wait, I don't even know why I'm telling you this. It's not like we're friends. Were you spying on me or something? What's your name anyw—"

She was cut off by his laughter.

"You know, for me being a complete stranger, you sure do like to talk a lot"

Sakura gaped. She couldn't believe the nerve of this guy.

"Fine then. Let's keep it that way." She huffed and returned to her spot under the tree. She pulled out her phone and flipped through the random applications, hopping that he would take a hint and leave.

His laugher subsided realizing he'd probably pushed her limit. He knelt down so that he was leveled with her, "Syaoran… My name is Syaoran Li. I'm sorry if I might have aggravated you" he apologized.

Sakura continued to ignore him and clicked through random files on her phone.

Syaoran sighed and stood.

"I messed this one up" he said aloud to himself.

Sakura looked up with curiosity. This didn't go unnoticed and he continued, "You see, I've been trying this whole 'be friendly and more approaching' thing." He slipped his hands into his pockets and turned to face the fountain

"My entire life I guess you could say I was very…reserved. I didn't take to people too well since I was always so focused on my studies and the family business or training."

He paused as if remembering something and laughed.

"My cousin spent an hour telling me how anti-social and stand-offish I was and how I'd never make friends, let alone a girlfriend, in college being that way. It was the popular thing in high school, I guess. Being the 'handsome, mysterious, loner'"

Sakura roller her eyes, she was already annoyed but continued to listen.

"…but here, it's like you're back at the bottom of the food chain. People could care less."

There was a hint of sadness in his tone with his last statement.

He quickly planted a smile on his face and turned to leave. "Ah, well. I guess I'll find someone else to-"

"You sure do like to talk a lot. You know, for me being a complete stranger and all" Sakura stood from her spot, her arms crossed and a smirk upon her face

Syaoran raised his eyebrows, taken by surprise.

"So, let's try this again" she continued. "One, Hi, my name is Sakura Kinomoto, it's a pleasure to meet you. Two, Your cousin is right, you really need to work on your greeting skills and Three, don't feel so down… we're all little Nemo's in this big fish bowl. But we find friends to help us along the way."

She laughed and held out her hand. "So, I'll help you out if you're willing to take my advice."

Syaoran stared hesitantly at her outstretched hand. He looked back up at her and completed the hand shake.

"Alright, Ms. Kinomoto. Let's see what you can do"

"I'll even go as far and say that you'll have a girlfriend by the end of this school year" she said with confidence.

"Deal. Here's my contact info so we can keep in touch" he pulled out his wallet and handed her a card. "I'll catch you later then!" and with that he headed off towards the library.

"Hey, who was that?" Alex had returned, one hand carrying two fountain drinks while the other held two bags of food.

Sakura glanced once more at the card in her hand before slipping it into her back pocket. "A new friend" she quickly said while grabbing one of the drinks from his hand.

"A _friend_, hmm? I'm telling" Alex mocked.

"Oh whatever, Alex. It's not like Chris would care anyways" Sakura mumbled that last phrase.

"Uh oh, trouble in paradise?" he returned to his spot under the tree and motioned for her to do the same. She let out a frustrated sigh, "I don't know, Alex. Things have been…quiet, lately. Like, you know, one word answers to 'How was your day' or whenever I ask him what he's doing it's always 'nothing'. I can't seem to get a read off of him but I know there's something wrong. How do you and Rayne work through things like this?" she turned to him, worry in her eyes.

Alex took a bite from his sandwich and finished chewing before responding "It's really tough, Sakura. I'll be honest with you, we've broken up at least 3 times since this semester started but we always get back together a few days later. I guess that's our way of dealing with things" he said while taking a sip from his drink. "I wish I could give you more advice but your situation is different from mine. Just try talking to him tonight about it. Nothing will get solved if you just sit here all grumpy" he took another bite from his meal

"I'm not grumpy" she interjected, "…just frustrated. He's supposed to be IT, the one, Mr. Right. I can't walk away from my future"

Alex let out a muffled laugh in between chews. "Sakura you just turned 18 this year. How can you be so sure that he's 'mister right'?"

She quickly pondered whether or not she should tell him about the "Pixie-dust plan" but decided against it.

"I just know, ok?" she took a large bite out of her sandwich and they continued their meal in silence.

"Thanks for talking with me" Sakura said as they stood, preparing to leave. "No biggie" he shrugged, "Just don't think about it too much, k? Can't have you getting wrinkles this early on"

Sakura smiled, thinking back to how Syaoran had told her the same thing. "You're right. I'll tell you how it goes, k? I'm gonna head back to work" He pulled her into a tight embrace before parting ways.

Sakura yawned as she made her way back into the office. 'I can't believe I'm tired already'.

"Had a good lunch?" Meilin greeted, not looking up from the computer screen.

"Yeah, a friend of mine bought me lunch so it was nice." She dropped her bag behind the front desk.

"Miss Mizuki out for lunch too?"

"Mhm" Meilin replied with a curt nod, continuing her game of Solitaire.

"I ran into that guy again. The one that came in here earlier" Sakura causally stated as she made her way to the back of the office.

"You what?" Meilin swung the chair around to face the direction that Sakura had just walked.

"Yeah, he's kind of a creeper" she continued.

"There's no way anyone that cute could be a creeper" Meilin said, genuinely confused about her coworkers statement.

Sakura shrugged. "I guess he wasn't SO bad once I started talking to him"

Meilin's mouth dropped. "You actually had a conversation with him? Is he the friend you had lunch with?"

Sakura laughed at her coworker's excitement with this topic and decided to run with it "No, but he did find out his name. He gave me his number too" Sakura said nonchalantly.

Meilin's mouth dropped. "Sakura, my buddy, ol' pal. What's it gonna take for you to introduce me to this guy?" Sakura had found Meilin's weak spot. 'This could be interesting' she thought.

"Eh, I'll think of something and let you know" Sakura said slyly. Meilin frowned and returned to the front desk.

I light bulb went off in Sakura's head as she began to piece together a plan 'Maybe I can hook them up by the end of the semester!' She though back to the deal she'd just made with Syaoran.

'This will work out perfectly'


	5. Chapter 4

**(Review Response) **

**Neyma: Yeah, I didn't really notice that but I'll keep that in mind as I continue to develop his character. I really hurried through the first few chapters. Thank you for your comment though! :) I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.**

**James Birdsong: Thank you again for my first review ^_^**

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><p>"I'm home!"<p>

There was no response as she closed the front door behind her. She placed her bag next to couch and settled down into its seats. Her eyes wandered around the living room, finally landing on the remote that lay on the floor next to the TV. Across the room. She let out a frustrated sigh and went to retrieve the remote.

"Bad day?"

Sakura let out a squeal, nearly throwing the remote into the air. "Tomoyo, geez! You scared me. I didn't think anyone was home."

The ebony haired girl softly laughed at her roommates frightened state. "Oh, Sakura, you're such a scaredy cat" Tomoyo said while putting on earrings.

Sakura returned to her seat on the couch and examine her roommates ensemble. "You look snazzy" she commented. Tomoyo was dressed in a formfitting, strapless, lavender dress. She finished putting on the small pearl earrings and brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, a blush spreading over her cheeks.

"I actually have a date tonight!" she responded excitedly.

Sakura turned her attention to her roommate, a surprised expression on her face. "I'm so happy for you! From what you've told me, its' been forever since you've met someone"

"I know! This guy is totally amazing. He's got the kindest eyes and his hair is just" Tomoyo let out a soft fainting noise.

"Tomoyo, you're so silly" Sakura laughed, turning on the television set. Her roommate momentarily disappeared back into her room, returning with a pair of silver heels

"So where's he taking you?" Sakura asked while flipping channels.

"I'm not sure, actually. He said it's a surprise" Tomoyo replied, balancing to put her heels on. She stood up straight and clapped her hands together. "I'm so excited!" her face reddened once again.

"Well what's his name? Just in case he turns out to be some weirdo who tries to kidnap you and I have to report him to the cops" Sakura teased.

"Oh hush, he's far too sweet to be a weirdo"

"It could happen, Tomoyo!"

The two girls laughed between each other.

"His name is Eriol Hira-" she was cutoff at the sound of a knock on the door. She galloped over and looked through the peep hole, retreating instantly.

"It's him!" she exclaimed in a whisper. "How do I look? "I have to fix my makeup! And my hair! Can you get the door for me" Once again, she disappeared into her room. Sakura laughed and shook her head as she stood from her spot to open the door. "I'm coming!" she responded to another knock on the door. She hesitated and looked through the peep hole. 'hmm..not bad. He looks like a nice enough guy' she thought to herself before unlocking and opening the front door.

"Hello!" she greeted cheerfully, stepping aside to let him in. "My name is Sakura Kinomoto. I'm Tomoyo's roommate.

"My name is Eriol Hiiragazawa. I've already heard so much about you, it's a pleasure" he said, taking her hand and planting a kiss on it.

"…good things, I hope" Sakura pulled her hand away and made her way back into the living room. "You're welcome to have a seat" she said, motioning for him to sit in the chair adjacent to hers.

Silence fell between them momentarily before Sakura spoke.

"So where are you taking my dear roommate tonight? She says it's a surprise" Sakura questioned, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Well if I tell you too, it won't be a surprise anymore. You don't have to worry , Ms. Kinomoto. I'm not going to kidnap Tomoyo" he said with a slight chuckle, adjusting the spectacles that sat upon his nose.

"As long as we're on the same page, Mr. Hiiragazawa." Sakura smirked.

"If you'd like, I can leave you my contact information. But I assure you I only intend to make sure she has a wonderful evening. " He said with a mischievous smile.

Sakura raised her eyebrows at his statement, "Alrighty then. That sounds great! Tomoyo, are almost ready?" she quickly changed the subject and continued to flip through the channels.

"I'll be out in just a minute!" her roommate responded.

"So what about you? Are you seeing anyone?" Eriol asked.

"Well, yeah, sort of. We're in a long distance relationship. He's finishing up his last year of grade school" she replied, picking up her phone to check her text messages. She let out an involuntary sigh when there her inbox turned up empty.

"Must be really rough" Eriol commented, taking note of her previous action.

"Yeah, it is. But we'll be ok! We've been together for a little over a year now and it's been great" she said, her lips spreading into a smile. 'Things aren't the best but it could be worse' she thought to herself.'

"Well, how do I look?" Tomoyo appeared in the hallway of their small apartment. Her newly formed curls, cascaded along the sides of her face, creating the perfect frame for her doll like features. There was a light shade of lilac eye shadow and a hint of blush on her cheeks. Eriol stood from his spot and held out his hand for hers "You look stunning" he said, taking her hand in his. Tomoyo's blush spread into a deeper shade. She let out a nervous giggle and turned to Sakura. "Well, we're going to head out now. Are you going to be ok here by yourself? You should go see Alex or something" Tomoyo didn't like the idea of her roommate being alone for the night.

"I'll be fine! I've got a lot of work to take care of and I'll probably call Chris soon" Sakura looked over at the clock on the wall, it was almost a little after 5:30.

"Ok then. I'll see you later tonight!" Tomoyo and Eriol made their way out the door, leaving Sakura in the silence of the now empty apartment. 'It's good to see her so happy. She's usually so reserved' Sakura smiled to herself. Turning off the TV and deciding to take a shower before calling Chris, hoping to figure out what to say to him. She examined herself in the mirror, noticing the involuntary frown that seemed to be reoccurring all day and quickly forced a smile upon her face. Thinking back to her conversation with Syaoran her smile relaxed into a more comfortable one. 'Maybe Chris doesn't like me anymore because I have wrinkles' she jokingly thought. She retrieved his calling card from her pocket and entered his number into a new text message. 'Hey creeper! It's Sakura. Just letting you know that I'm definitely more aware of these darn wrinkles now thanks to you' she smiled as she sent it to him before leaving her phone on the vanity and heading into the shower.

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><p>"So what do you think I should do?"<p>

"_Sakura, I don't think I'm the best person to ask right now, honestly. Rayne and I are kind of kaput"_

Sakura's hand paused on the page she was about to turn. "Wait. Like, forreal forreal this time? Don't you guys always get back together after having a fight?"

"_Yeah, I don't know what happened really. She texted me saying that she wanted to see other people and that she was completely serious this time. When I texted her back asking what happened I never got a response. It's been since 2." _Alex sighed.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. How rude too! Through a text message? That's really low"

"_I know! It's ridiculous." _a saddened laugh escaped him. _"I never thought I'd ever be dumped through text message" _

Sakura looked down at her old diary in her hands. She found herself re-reading the pages written about Christopher. They brought her some sort of comfort that their relationship would turn out fine.

"Guess there's a first for everything, huh? I don't know how I would react to something like that" she chuckled. There was a beep on the line, indicating that there was a call waiting.

"He's calling! I'll keep you posted through text, k? Bye!"

Sakura ended the call before Alex even had a chance to response and switched over to her other line.

"Hey Chris! How are you?"

"Oh hey, that was fast. I'm good and you?" he asked, sounding a little surprised at her quick answer.

A smile spread across her face "I'm ok! How was your day?"

"It was alright. Nothing special." He replied.

A new message from Alex appeared on Sakura's screen. _On standby! How's it going so far?_

'We just started talking but I guess it's ok!' Sakura suppressed her slight laughter and swiftly replied. "So…what are you up to now?" she returned her attention back to her boyfriend.

"Nothing"

There it was again. The sudden lack of emotion in his voice whenever she'd spoken with him the last couple of weeks. It's funny how you can tell so much just from one simple word.

"That's…cool. I'm just reading"

'Oh no! It's gonna get awkward again soon!' she quickly texted to her friend.

She received a quick response as the silence continued on the phone line 'No, no, no! Bring it up now! Since it's fresh! Good luck!'

"Hey Chris, can I ask you something?" her voice sounded uneasy

"Sure."

She took a deep breath before continuing, "How do you feel about our relationship?"

There was a slight pause before he answered "I think we're ok"

She waited for more to his response but was sadly disappointed

"That's good. Me too" she said quietly. "So are you excited about Homecoming? You still haven't given me any details. It's in a couple weeks so I have to pick out a dress that matches you!" Sakura exclaimed, changing the subject quickly.

"I really don't think I want to go, Sakura."

"A-are you sure? You said that a week ago but said you changed your mind" Sakura found herself biting her nails, a bad habit she'd thought she broken when she was in elementary school.

"We'll see" he sighed. There was sense of certainty in his voice. A certainty that Sakura knew meant he didn't want to go.

"Ok Wel—"

"Hey Sakura, can I give you a call back in a few? I'm going to go eat" he swiftly cut her off.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll talk to you soon then?"

"Yeah" and with that the call was over.

Setting the phone down and inhaling deeply, Sakura held her head to the ceiling, attempting to halt the formation of tears.

She retrieved the phone and began writing a text to the boy she'd just gotten off the phone with. She was determined to get a straight answer from him.

'Chris, I feel like we're not ok. There's something wrong between us and…I don't know how to fix it'

The text had just sent when she received one from Alex asking how things were going.

'Not good' she simply responded, exiting his message to wait for Chris' response which came shortly after. 'I know, Sakura…so…what do you suppose we do?'

She closed her eyes momentarily before responding. 'I was hoping you had an idea'

Another 10 seconds passed before she received another response from Chris.

'…I have an idea but…I'm not sure if you'll like it…'

A knot formed in her throat at the possibility of what his idea could be. 'I think we're going to break up' Sakura sent the new update to Alex and then responded to Chris. 'Whatever your idea is…I'm sure I'll be ok with it, Chris. Just be honest with me' she couldn't believe what she was typing. Where had all of her drive to save this relationship gone? She gave a frustrating sigh, thinking about all of the effort she'd put into making sure this relationship worked and now she honestly felt like she couldn't anything more. She'd already given it all she had.

Her phone chimed and she hesitated before opening the text. She didn't have to read the whole thing before she let it slip from her hand onto the bed. 'Is this really happening right now?', she cradled her head in her hands, her phone chiming again, this time from Alex.

'uh oh…so…what's the verdict?'A small choke escaped her as the attempt to hold back her cries began to fail. 'Are you really sure this is what you want, Chris? ' She decided to text Chris back rather than prolong the situation. A few moments later his response came through,

'I'm sorry, Sakura' was all he responded with, solidifying his decision to end their relationship.

She let her sobs come openly and the tears flow freely. All of the emotion that she'd held inside of her for the last few weeks was expressed through her quiet broken-hearted cries.

Curling up against one of her pillows she closed her tired eyes, evaluating all that had just taken place in the last 10 minutes. 'How can something that took over a year to build..crumble in less than a matter of weeks'. Another chime interrupted her from her thoughts. 'Sakura…?' It was Alex checking in on her since she hadn't responded. Her hands shook slightly as she responded, 'He broke up with me…through text message…-_-'.

She stared at the bright phone screen, processing what she'd just written, her eyes vacant of any blissful emotion.

'What? That jerk! I'm so sorry, love. How are you taking it?' his response was quick.

She resumed her fetal position and replied truthfully '…Like a little girl' her sobs subsided but the tears still fell quietly down her face, staining her cheeks. She grabbed the little lion stuffed animal that lay next to her on the bed and hugged it. The light began to irritate her swollen eyes and so she stood and pulled the chain that hung from the fan to switch it off and returned to her spot on the bed. "How cliché, Kero…crying alone in the dark after a breakup. Now all I need are some chocolate chip cookies" she said allowed to the inanimate object. The lion's permanent joyous facial expression promoted a small grin from Sakura and she hugged it even closer. "Ok, I'm not alone. I have you"

Her phone chimed with another text from Alex. ' Sakura, what are you doing now?' he asked.

'Besides sitting in the dark? Thinking about making some cookies. That should cheer me up' she replied, placing the phone back down right after.

She closed her eyes again, returning to her state of solitary darkness. Her eyes shot open, the longer she kept her eyes closed the more her memories brought her back to Chris. She stood from her bed, deciding that making cookies would not only cheer her up but distract her momentarily from the situation.

Once in the kitchen, she located the chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer and sat it on the counter. Her cell phone chimed just as she was about to preheat the oven and she shuffled back to her room, retrieving her phone 'I hope you didn't make those cookies yet. Put your shoes on, grab your jacket and come open the door '. A knock from the front door echoed throughout her apartment. A smile grew on her face and she ran to open the door, almost plowing into the boy that stood outside. Alex took her into a tight embrace and laughed. "C'mon, let's get out of here" he whispered into her hair. She nodded in response before running back to her room to grab her shoes and a jacket. After putting on the jacket and shoes she stopped to examine herself in the vanity mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy and she decided to try to wash her face, hoping it would help decrease the sadness that was very evident. Neatly brushing back her auburn hair, she concluded that there wasn't much else she could do to make her look any better and proceed to leave the room. Her cell phone vibrated and chimed from her pocket and she stopped to read it. 'It's good to know you're looking out for that beautiful face of yours! What are you up to tonight?' she smiled at the response from Syaoran. What girl didn't like to called beautiful? She made a move to respond but was cut off by Alex,

"Hey Sakura, you didn't drown did you?". She shoved the phone in her pocket and took one last glance in the mirror before leaving the room.

* * *

><p>"So what are the odds of the both of us being dumped on the same day?" Alex laughed, taking another spoonful of ice cream.<p>

"Through text messages too!" Sakura said incredulously through a mouthful of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Their laughter subsided and they ate quietly.

"He was supposed to be it, Alex. I don't know what to do" Sakura sighed sadly.

"Well, you pick yourself back up as soon as you feel you're ready and you get back in the game. You can't be so sure about putting all your faith into your first love. Sometimes people just aren't that lucky" he chuckled, tracing circles in his ice cream with his spoon. She stood and threw her cup away and turned back towards him. "OK, don't think I'm weird or anything but when I was 11…I made this plan for love. I won't bore you with the details but finding Chris solidified that the plan actually worked somehow! Ok…so it's still like a 1 out of 3 shot but I couldn't believe the odds of it happening at all." the words came so quickly that she had to catch her breath at the end of her statement. Alex laughed, tossing his now empty cup into the garbage and wrapped an arm around her. Sakura leaned into the side of his chest and he planted a friendly kiss on her forehead. "There are plenty of fish out there, Sakura. You're a beautiful girl, I'm sure you'll find someone." She sadly nodded in agreement, "Same for you, Alex", she wiped a couple of tears from her eyes as they walked together back to his car.

"We're such a sad pair" Alex sighed as he put a movie in the DVD player. "Oh hush up! It's fine to watch sappy movies when you're depressed" Sakura snapped playfully. The microwave beeped and she removed the fresh bag of popcorn, taking in the aroma. "Does that also give us a reason to eat so much junk food?" Alex gestured towards the layout of cookies and chips on the table in front of them. Sakura took her seat next to him on the couch and stuck her tongue before stuffing a hand full of popcorn into her mouth. "Let me have my moment."

"Sakura, you're falling asleep" Alex nudged his drowsy friend. The movie had only been on for 30 minutes before she began to succumb to exhaustion. "nuh uh, I'm watching, I'm watching" she mumbled, her eyes fluttering momentarily before closing again. "Come on, let me get you home" Alex gently lifted his friend to her feet despite her annoyed grumbles. He took a her hand and made a move towards the front door but was stopped, realizing Sakura wasn't budging. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks and she spoke quietly "How could he just break up with me so easily? I put so much into this relationship and…it's like he just gave up. What did I do wrong?"

Alex pulled Sakura into a bear hug, attempting to halt her trembling sobs. "It's not your fault, Sakura. You did what you could" he soothingly brushed back her hair."

"But I had everything so planned out! It wasn't supposed to happen this way" she cried into his chest.

"Sakura, look at me" he tilted her chin to face him, her constant sobs began to settle. "Sometimes you can't plan these things and you can't control everything that happens in your life." He couldn't bear to see her this way and his heart called out to her.

Their eyes met in a comfortable silence, Sakura's heart rate increased as their faces inched closer to each other. "Sometimes…things just happen" Alex whispered, his face dangerously close to hers. Sakura's breath caught in her chest, she could feel the warmth of his caress her lips. Her mind raced a thousand thoughts a second 'Alex is my best friend…I mean, maybe I've thought about dating him but—' her thoughts were interrupted as his lips met with hers. Her surprised eyes softened and then closed, she responded immediately. His kiss was gentle and warm and she surprised herself, lacing her hands within his and pulling herself closer into him. The moment was over as quickly as it had happened. Alex, pulled away and held her at arm's length. "I'm sorry, Sakura…I shouldn't have done that. I should take you home" he let go of her and headed towards the door. Sakura shook her head in response and reached out for his hand "It's ok, Alex and…if you don't mind…" she turned him back to face her and took both his hands "I really don't want to go back to my empty apartment…" she looked nervously to the floor before continuing "can I stay here?". Their eyes met once more and he nodded in agreement, taking her hand and leading her to his room.

Sakura lay beneath the blanket, her back turned to Alex. She'd slept over on numerous occasions with no sense of discomfort. But then again, they'd never crossed that friendship border and she'd always fallen asleep on the opposite side of the bed from him. She felt a deep sense of loneliness when she thought about being in her apartment and she guessed that was the reason why she'd asked to stay. "Sakura, I'm really sorry about what happened" Alex said through the darkness. She turned her head to face him. "It's ok, Alex…it was actually…nice" she admitted with a smile. He inched closer to her, carefully draping an arm around her. She welcomed this gesture by scooting backwards, their bodies molding together. Alex let out a soft laugh. "So, what are the odds of two best friends being dumped on the same day and ending up together on the same night?"he nuzzled his face into her neck.

'Does this mean we're together now? What have you gotten yourself into Sakura? It's not so bad but…still…it's too soon.'

"One in a million, I guess." Her words were lost as the statement she had just made took on a whole new meaning. "Or 1 in 3" she whispered.

"Hm?" Alex responded, unable to make out her last sentence.

"Nothing. Let's get some sleep" Sakura hurriedly said.

She felt Alex nod in agreement and after a few minutes felt him doze off. Sakura's eyes remained open in the darkness, fixated on her current revelation.

'Destiny's done it again…' she smiled wearily to herself, 'I guess there's more to this plan that I originally designed.' finally allowing her body and mind to rest, she drifted off into a much needed slumber.

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><p><strong>AN: Hiiiiii! No SS in this chapter, sorry! Things will really be picking up after this one though. I wish I could just jump to the last 2 chapters which are going to be pretty awesome buuut i've gotta get through the middle first :). Keep reading and reviewing and I'll try my best to keep you interested ^_^. <strong>

**I'm on Thanksgiving break now so I'll probably be writing a lot more since being home again is honestly kinda boring. Hopefully I'll have another chapter by Monday! 'til then, Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone! **

-Synea K.


	6. Chapter 5

"So what, are you guys a couple now?"

"I don't know, Tomoyo" Sakura slurped the last of her mint chocolate chip milkshake and gave a satisfied sigh.

"Pig"

Sakura glared at the auburn haired boy that sat beside her. "Who invited you again?" she stood to toss her cup into the trash and returned to her seat.

"Is it a crime now for friends to get together for some ice cream?" Syaoran smirked and took a spoonful of his chocolate chip dessert.

A dark haired boy cleared his throat as he returned to the table, setting down 2 trays of food. "Settle down, children. Tomoyo mentioned what happened and so I figure Sakura could come along with us to. Syaoran was on his way to my apartment so I told him to just meet me here instead." He distributed the fries among the group, followed by wrapped sandwiches.

"Anyways," Tomoyo continued while unwrapping her chicken sandwich, "I'm happy if you're happy, Sakura. Just be careful and think things through"

Sakura nodded and smiled, taking a bite from her meal.

It had been 3 days since her breakup with Chris and since…well, the "special moment", as Tomoyo called it, with Alex. They hadn't really spoken about their current relationship status. Actually, they hadn't really spoken at all since that night and she really wasn't in a hurry to either. There was so much that she was unsure of and she had no idea what she would say to him.

Sakura initially declined the invite from Tomoyo and her new beau, Eriol, but had a "change of heart" after a long guilt trip from her best friend about not spending enough time together.

Syaoran, as it turned out, is Eriol's cousin. It took a minute for the two brunettes to justify to their curious friends just how they met but Eriol believed their story the minute Sakura described Syaoran's weird attempt to make new friends.

Sakura observed the couple across from her. In a matter of 3 days, Tomoyo and Eriol had become nearly inseparable. If he wasn't over at their apartment, Tomoyo was over at his which explains why the two girls hadn't been able to spend time together. Sakura had just told Tomoyo yesterday about the breakup. In a way, she wanted to make sure it was final. She'd laughed to herself the day after when a thought popped into her head. One of her friends from high school had told her that a breakup isn't official until 3 days have passed. So she waited. She made an effort to reach out to him by sending an email but never received a response which she took as a sign that it was final.

Sakura watched as Eriol whispered something into Tomoyo's ear, causing her to stifle her laughter. She couldn't help but smile sadly at this exchange. She'd never realized how little time it took to build a relationship when it felt right… 'and how little time it takes to end one when all of the pieces just didn't fit anymore'. She sighed inwardly to herself. Had she been wrong in designing this elaborate puzzle for her heart? It didn't seem that elaborate when she'd initially planned it out. All she had to do was pick a name from a vial and wait for destiny to take its course. But then of course she had to make sure she wasn't settling for any guy that just happened to have the first name with a corresponding letter but when she'd met Chris, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that stopped her from believing that he could be the one. She'd ignored the signs of failure because to her, if the first phase of her idea worked then there was a 50/50 chance that the final part would come true. She'd decided to take that risk and hoped for the best.

"What did I tell you about that frown?"

"hm?" Sakura wasn't aware that she was being observed and came out of her thoughts.

"Oh! No, no, I'm fine." Sakura turned to Syaoran, shaking her head and quickly smiling.

"…If you say so" he muffled, putting the last of his sandwich into his mouth

"Who's the pig now?" Sakura commented.

"Fine then. That's the last time I'm concerned for you" he crumpled the wrappings and placed them back on one of the trays.

"Now, now, children. Play nicely" it was Tomoyo this time who spoke with a smile. She and Eriol lapsed into laughter.

"Yes, mother" Sakura stuck her tongue out at her best friend.

A comfortable silence fell over the group as they all finished their meals. Sakura let out an unintentional sigh and crushed the wrappings from her sandwich into a neat ball.

Eriol took note of this action and stood from the table, "Hey, Syaoran, come with me to refill my drink?"

He motioned towards the fountain drink stand across the room.

"But my drink isn't—"

"Just come!" Eriol interjected. Syaoran looked from the two girls to his retreating friend then back to Tomoyo who silently nodded towards Sakura who was once again lost in her thoughts. He formed a silent "oh" before leaving the table.

With the absence of the boys, Tomoyo was free to talk with her roommate alone.

"Earth to Sakura" Tomoyo giggled, snapping her fingers in front of Sakura's face.

"huh?" Sakura came out of her contemplative moment. "I'm sorry, Tomoyo, I've just got a lot on my mind" the girl laughed nervously with a smile.

"I can tell! You've been spacing out every 5 minutes. I just wanted to make sure you were ok" She said, a concerned look upon her face.

Sakura took a deep breath before exhaling. "I don't know, Tomoyo. I just…I had everything planned out. What did I do wrong? It was going so well and then WHAM, someone created text messaging and years later a new way to dump people was born!" she exclaimed

Tomoyo couldn't help but laugh at her friends reasoning. "Sakura, you can't keep blaming yourself for what happened. Nor can you blame text messaging" she commented before continuing "Life doesn't always go as planned. You've got to be able to expect the unexpected and just…work with what you've been given."

"But-"

"No buts, Sakura. We learn from the past so we won't make the same mistakes in the future, ok? Just think about that. We'll talk more later" she whispered hurriedly as the boys returned.

"You guys ready to go?" Eriol said, approaching the table. The two girls nodded in unison, discarding the rest of the trash from the table.

"So do you have any plans for today?" Syaoran asked Sakura as they made their way towards the parking lot.

"Nothing that I can think of, really. Why?" Sakura questioned curiously.

"I thought maybe we could work on the thing" his eyes stayed on the path ahead of them.

Sakura almost forgot about the deal she'd made with him and laughed to herself.

"Uh, Su-"she was cut off by a sudden buzz from her cellphone. "Hold that thought!" she said, holding a finger up before answering the call.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, Sakura…how are you?"_

Sakura glanced at Syaoran who was still waiting for her response and mouthed the words 'hold on' before walking away from the group. "I'm doing fine. How are you?" she asked.

"_I'm doing alright. Are you busy? I'm sorry if I called at a wrong time"_

"It's fine! I just finished lunch with Tomoyo and some friends. What's up?"

"_Oh ok. Well, do you think we could meet up?"_

Sakura hesitated for a moment and looked at her group of friends who had stopped to wait for her. She'd have to reschedule her little meeting with Syaoran.

"Sure. Want me to just drop by your place?"

"_Yeah, that would be good. I'll see you soon then" _

"Yup. See you soon" she replied before ending the call.

She hadn't spoken to Alex since that night and hadn't made any effort to talk to him about what happened. She'd woken up the next morning and quietly left her sleeping friend. When she made it safely to the bus that would take her back to the school and her dorm, she texted him a simple "Thank You" with a smiley face. She received a response later in the day saying that it was no problem and that he'd always be there for her. The thought comforted her but she knew they would have to talk about where they would go from there.

She made her way back to the group. "Everything ok?" Tomoyo asked.

"Yeah, that was just Alex. He wants to meet up with me soon" Sakura replied.

She turned to Syaoran, "which means we'll have to have a rain check for our…project"

"You're gonna fail this thing, you know" Syaoran commented with a grin.

"So you guys have class together too?" Eriol looked at them curiously.

"Well it's for one of my classes. Syaoran agreed to help me, right?" Sakura advertently stepped on his foot.

"Ow-Yeah! She asked me to help her a few days ago" He glared at Sakura who ignored him and continued smiling.

"If you say so," his eyebrows rose curiously but he continued, "Tomoyo and I were going to catch a movie. We could drop you off if you'd like before we go"

"Oh, no, it's ok! I can just catch the bus, it's not that far" Sakura waved her hands in the air. "You guys go and enjoy your date"

"I can take you. I've got nothing else to do." Syaoran offered.

"It's fine, I promise. The bus stop is right across campus"

"No, it's ok. We can talk about the project since we won't be able to meet up later" Syaoran nudged her shoulder causing her to stumble.

"You guys saw that, right? I can't get into the car with this violent man" Sakura directed her comment towards Syaoran and he laughed.

"Sakura, stop being stubborn and just go with him" Tomoyo laughed too.

"Fine" Sakura folded her arms against her chest.

"I'll see you at home after the movie, ok?" Tomoyo reached out and hugged her friend, causing Sakura to unfold her arms. "Ok, sounds good." Sakura sighed.

"Don't try anything with her, Eriol. Or else!" There was a faux menacing tone to her voice. He chuckled at her feeble act of command and shook his head. "Yes, Ms. Kinomoto. I'll have her home before the street lights come on"

"You better" Sakura nodded in approval.

"See ya later, Eriol. It was really nice meeting you, Tomoyo" Syaoran gave a small wave.

"And you, sir. Better drive her to her destination, safely-"

"Or else. I know, I know." Syaoran interrupted, holding his hands up in defense. The 4 friends laughed before parting ways.

Syaoran and Sakura walked in silence towards his car. Cutting in front of her, he opened the passenger door for her.

"Chivalrous, aren't we?" Sakura said slyly as she took her seat and he closed the door.

He came around to the driver's side and sat down, starting the car. "I'm not a complete loss" he replied, raising his eyebrows before pulling out of the parking lot.

Syaoran flipped through the radio stations, turning it off with a frustrated sigh after only hearing commercial ads. "There's never anything good on" he said under his breath. Sakura continued to stare out of the window.

Syaoran cleared his throat which caught Sakura's attention

"So…do you really like him?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows at him "I'm not telling you that!" she scoffed and continued to gaze out the window. Silence fell over them once again.

It wasn't that she didn't want to answer him. She didn't mind actually since she hadn't been able to talk to anyone else about it. She just wasn't sure what the answer was.

Of course she liked Alex. But were they feelings of friendship or something more?

"Have you guys known each other long?" Syaoran was determined to start a conversation with her.

"Since September," Sakura replied willingly. She didn't want to make things uncomfortable between them. She gave a small laugh "He honestly wasn't much better than you when we met"

"Oh yeah? What happened?" Syaoran laughed as well and waited for her to continue.

Sakura thought back to when she'd first met Alex and smiled. Between Syaoran and Alex, she didn't know who had approached her in a weirder way.

"I was still trying to adjust to my early schedule and so I wasn't in the best of moods that morning. The last thing I wanted was to meet anyone – you're gonna wanna make a left at the next light and keep driving." she interrupted her own story to give him directions.

"Yeah, so we ended up having to ride the elevator together and you know what he said to me?" There was a pause as Sakura attempted her best impression of Alex.

" 'I didn't know that girls were allowed to live on this floor' I was so surprised that it took me a few seconds to really get what he said. I couldn't help but laugh at him. How could he even start a conversation like that? I told him that I'd been living there since the beginning of the semester and that there were actually 6 girls total that lived on the floor."

Syaoran shook his head as he listened to her tell the story. "It didn't seem like it was that bad, Sakura"

"If you say so. He could've asked how my day was going or what my name was something but whatever. So it turns out that he used to live on the floor during summer and apparently only boys were allowed to live there. He was going to visit his old roommate who turned out to be a mutual friend. The rest is sort of history. I really don't know why but we became really close after that and here we are, 2 months later in this situation." Sakura chuckled softly at her final statement.

"I'm sure if you guys are that close, you should be able to figure something out then."

Sakura nodded silently. "Take another left here and then make a right and his apartment will be on the right."

They came to a stop in front of the complex and Syaoran unlocked the door.

"Thanks again," Sakura said as she stepped out of the car. "I'm sorry we couldn't talk about helping you out but I promise I'll be free tomorrow"

"Don't worry about it! We've got 'til spring. But I'm sure I'll still be a lonely, single man." his mouth formed into a small, playful frown.

"Don't doubt my ways" Sakura smirked before closing the door.

Syaoran rolled the window down. "Call me if you need a ride home or…for anything, I guess"

"Thanks. And…thank you for talking with me, I feel a lot calmer now" she leaned onto the window.

"No problem. Good luck in there!" he shouted as she stood and made her way towards the apartment.

She turned back and waved as he turned around and drove off in the direction that he'd just driven from, honking his horn as he passed.

Sakura took a deep breath and made her way towards Alex's place. 'He's one of my best friends, so I should be ok with whatever happens' she contemplated to herself. 'Chris was my best friend too though but…Alex is a lot different. I don't think dating him would be that bad but I definitely should take it slow and really think about it' she was becoming annoyed with the constant back and forth. She never knew how frustrating fighting with yourself could be.

Reaching the door she knocked 3 times. There was no hesitation in her action and she was ready to face whatever was about to take place. But it didn't take long for her nerves to return when he quickly opened the door, letting her in.

The living room was quiet as they sat next to each other on his sofa. Neither one of them knew what to say or how to start the conversation. Deciding to break the awkward silence Sakura went first

"So, how has your day been?"

Small talk was good, it made things comfortable.

"It's been ok. I didn't really do too much today. You?" Sakura felt him relax against the back of the couch. She wanted to laugh at how tense he had been but decided against it.

"It's been good. Tomoyo and her boyfriend invited me out for lunch with them. His cousin came along too" Sakura felt more relaxed with every word she spoke.

"I didn't know Tomoyo had a boyfriend. That's great to hear" he fidgeted with his hands

"They started dating just 3 days ago, actually. I'm not sure about how they met but they're so cu-"

"Rayne and I got back together"

"ute together" Sakura's voice faded at the end of her sentence.

The atmosphere was still.

"Sakura, I—We. Apparently it was all a misunderstanding. She'd left her phone in one of her friends cars and they'd decided to play a joke on me and" he fumbled through his words, unsure of what he was really trying to say.

"That's a really mean joke" Sakura managed to choke out. A knot had formed in her throat, making it hard to breathe, let alone speak. She wouldn't cry over this because the situation didn't need to be expressed through tears but her eyes fought to betray her. They weren't together and she was stupid for even thinking that it was a possibility. They were friends and that's all they were meant to be.

"You're tellin' me. I finally answered her calls yesterday and she told me about everything. Her friend even apologized to me afterwards" he continued, "I almost didn't want to believe it."

Sakura let out a feeble laugh as she managed to force down the knot. The atmosphere was definitely denser than it had been a couple of minutes ago.

"Sakura, I'm really sorry about all of this."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault, Alex. Things just sort of happened and I guess I just thought—" she found herself struggling with the right words to say. "You're one of my best friends Alex and I never want to lose that." a smiled crept onto her lips and he returned the gesture. They fell into a comfortable embrace for a few moments before parting. He placed his palm on her cheek. Sakura's heart caught in her chest before she shook the strange emotion away. 'We're just friends!' she concluded.

"You are truly a beautiful person, Sakura. Inside and out. He's an idiot for letting you go and whoever happens to walk into your heart - - will be the luckiest man in the world"

"Thanks,' She whispered, placing her hand upon his and removing it from her face.

"You're still a flirt" she teased and playfully hit him in the arm.

"And you're still a dork" he rustled her hair as they stood from the couch. "Hey! Jerk" Sakura slapped his hand away in protests and attempted to fix her disheveled hair. Their eyes met in a glaring match before laughing at their childish behavior.

"You're welcome to hang out for a little bit if you'd like" Alex stretched and walked turned the TV on.

"It's ok. I've got a project to work on" she smiled to herself, knowing the real meaning behind the word 'project'.

"Do you need a ride home or you want me to drop you off?"

"I uh, I have a friend who offered to pick me up. I'll be fine" she didn't really have anyone coming; she just didn't want to inconvenience him or anyone else so she figured she'd just take the bus.

She walked over to the door and stepped out into the retreating daylight.

"So—we're ok, right?" Alex started.

"Of course we are" Sakura replied, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I just—I didn't want you to be hurt because of this and"

"Shh…stop worrying about it." She placed a hand on his cheek.

"You're a great guy, Alex and I know you'd never want to hurt me. That's why we're still friends"

Her words made him smile and he grabbed her into another bear hug.

"Be careful, ok? Call me if you need anything"

Sakura nodded against his chest and released herself from his hold. A cheerful tone sounded from within his apartment. "That's probably Rayne. Call me when you get home, ok?"

"I will. I'll be seeing you" she said before making her way to the front of the complex.

"See ya, Sakura!" he shouted after her and closed the door.

'That didn't go so bad' she thought to herself as she took her seat at the empty bus stop. Her phone buzzed once in her pocket and she quickly retrieved it.

_How'd it go?_

She smiled at the text and pressed the call button. She'd much rather talk to someone right now than text. That someone picked up on the first ring.

"_Sakura? Are you ok?"_ she was a little surprised by the concern in his voice.

"Yup! Everything's just fine. Turns out that he and his girlfriend are back together. Rather, they never really broke up." she laughed lightly. It felt good to be able to laugh about it.

"_Well it's good to know that you're ok with it."_

"I thought you said you were done being concerned for me" Sakura poked fun at his previous statement during lunch.

"_If that's what you want. Don't call me if you're ever in trouble."_

"Fine then!" And with that, Sakura hung up the phone. She wasn't mad but she'd always wanted to hang up on someone in the heat of the moment. The cool breeze nipped at her bare arms and she wished she'd brought a jacket. It was then that she'd realized what time it was. 'Oh no' she looked around her for the sign that stated the bus campus bus pick-up and drop-off times and her stomach sank. She'd forgotten that the bus stopped running at 6:00 on Fridays. Even though it was only 5:40 the bus had probably already passed her stop since there were so many on the route.

She slumped back against the bench, opening the address book on her phone. 'Who to call…' She hovered over Alex's number but decided against calling him. Calling Eriol or Tomoyo would mean disrupting their date. She now regretted the last action she'd just made against her final option.

The phone rang a few times before he picked up.

"_Yes?"_

She was taken aback by the new tone in his voice "Uh…hey. So, I'm really sorry about that I—"

"_Do you need something?" _

She couldn't tell if he was actually mad at her or just joking but figured she'd ask him for a ride anyways.

"I was wondering if you could come and pick me up. The buses aren't running anymore and I really don't want to ask Alex for a ride"

The phone was quiet before she heard him sigh on the other line.

"_Yeah, I'll be there in a few" _

The call ended and she placed the phone, hoping she hadn't really upset him.

The car was silent as they pulled away from the apartment complex. Syaoran hadn't even said hello to Sakura who told him thank you as she entered the car.

"I'm sorry about hanging up on you. I was just joking"

Her statement was met with silence and she turned her attention to the scene outside the window.

'_What's with him?' _

"It's ok." he kept his eyes on the road.

Although she hadn't known him long, Sakura could tell that there was something bothering him.

"Are you sure you're ok?" she was determined to find out what was wrong.

"It's fine."

She racked her brain for ways to bring his spirits up.

"I was thinking that maybe we could work on your situation since I really don't have much going on in my life anymore" Sakura said that last part with a slight hint of bitterness.

How true it was. She'd been dumped, practically twice, in the last week; her best friend was preoccupied with her new love interest and she didn't have any homework to do since the semester was almost over. The only interesting part of her life now was the bet she'd made with the amber-eyed boy who currently sat next to her.

"Maybe tomorrow, I've got some homework that I want to finish up before the weekend" he replied as he pulled into the parking lot for the campus dorms.

"Alright then," Sakura said reluctantly. Not only did she want to cheer him up but she really didn't want to go back to the apartment by herself. "Thank you again for picking me up"

He nodded in response. "Cheer up, k? Wrinkles don't suit you" she said with a smile before closing the door and walking towards her apartment.

Syaoran watched her as she disappeared into the building, a sad smile tugged at his lips. He didn't mean to act in such a distant way towards her, but her actions brought back some unwanted memories. 'Maybe we'll talk about it tomorrow'.

He drove out of the parking lot and made his way back to his apartment.

Sakura fell onto her bed with a loud sigh, closing her eyes. Her room was dark but she didn't mind. Reaching across her bed she located the little stuffed lion that she'd brought along with her from home.

"What a week, Kero!" she said aloud to the inanimate object. "Looks like you're the only one I really have to talk to right now," she in between a yawn. But before she could say another word, she quickly drifted off into a much needed slumber.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So it's getting somewhere! I haven't been able to write as much as I'd like to since my laptop is broken. I'm relying on computers at school and whenever I can borrow a friends but..I'm doing what I can. As for "Breaking Free" - - I've been trying to re-write what I initially wrote since the files are trapped on my laptop but it's not the same. Hopefully, it'll be fixed soon and I can update that one :). I've got a few more plot ideas in my head but I didn't want to get ahead of myself. I'll wait 'til my comptuer is fixed. <strong>

**Thanks for reading & reviewing! :) **

**-SK**


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